THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) is now finalizing the list of official candidates and hopes to finish it by the end of the year.
Philippine politics is part of our everyday lives that we fuss a lot about it. It will be shaken up once again as the 2022 election is fast approaching.
Lately, I’ve been into discussions about the elections, the aspirants running for national positions, and the issues that may arise during the campaign proper. One of the topics we discussed was Vice President Leni Robredo. It was more on her motive – why she decided to run for the highest position of the land and her capabilities to lead the people.
In this article, I thought of writing about her position, as the Vice President (VP) of the Philippines, since people usually dub her as the “spare tire” to the presidency. Actually, this does not only refer to her but even to former VPs.
The VP has the same set of qualifications as a president. According to Section 2, Article VII of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, he or she must be a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, a registered voter, able to read and write, at least 40 years of age on the day of the elections, and a Philippine resident for at least 10 years. He or she serves for six years per term. He or she can serve for two consecutive terms.
The VP is a standby to take over the presidency if the need arises. It is expressly provided in Section 8, Article VII of the Constitution that “in case of death, permanent disability, removal from office, or resignation of the President, the Vice President shall become the President to serve the unexpired term. He or she can be an acting president if the elected president failed to qualify or if the president has not been chosen.
He or she serves as an executive committee member in the National Security Council. He or she can be a member of the president’s Cabinet without confirmation from the Commission on Appointments. The latter depends on the pleasure of the president on whether or not to offer a Cabinet position to his VP. This is not a direct appointment.
There are no definite or expressed functions of the VP, but the official website of the Office of the Vice President lists its core functions which is to develop and implement programs to ensure effective and efficient delivery of social services to the Filipino people, especially the laylayan or those on the fringes of society; to collaborate with appropriate government and non-government agencies, financial institutions, socioeconomic groups and people’s organizations, for possible support to Local Government Units (LGUs) and their constituents, and as an active partner in identifying and implementing government programs; and to perform ceremonial functions as the Vice President represents the Philippine government in official gatherings and diplomatic functions, both locally and abroad.
Yes, it is a spare tire. It may be an extra, but it is used or kept available as an emergency replacement. That’s how vital the position is.
Everyone should know what powers they are giving to those in the elective positions and the service they should expect./PN
